An Unexpected Visitor
by LexieFanatic
Summary: Hiccup Haddock was just an ordinary teenage boy living with his mom and dealing with the daily struggles of high school and everything that strung along with it. The last thing he ever expected was to find an axe-wielding shieldmaiden in his bedroom and suddenly have his entire life turn upside down. Modern AU. Hiccstrid.
1. Chapter 1

Greenery surrounded every corner of his eyeshot.

Hiccup stepped forth with trembling legs to find the source of the loud roaring that had disturbed his sleep. Leisurely but surely he ventured over to the entrance of a cove. Some rocks blocked his passage but he was slim enough to slip through.

The pupils of his green eyes dilated as he took in the scenery before him. It was serene and eerily quiet until a dark figure suddenly emerged from the lake, making Hiccup freeze up in shock.

It was a scaly and dark. A dragon, to be precise.

The black reptile munched on the fish he had freshly caught, paying little mind to the stranger observing him in secrecy. Perhaps he was too famished to care at the moment.

Hiccup slowly stepped forward and into the eyeline of the dragon. He felt his entire body quiver with fear but stood determined on his spot. The previous time he had tried to approach this dragon, he had all but fainted.

This time was going to be different. That was certainly what he had convinced himself until he found himself pinned down to the ground. A restrained yelp escaped him and he tried to budge free but found himself unable to move.

The nostrils of the dragon flared as it glared down on him. Hiccup squinted his eyes shut and braced himself for the pain that was about to strike him.

..Except it never came.

He was suddenly consumed by darkness and abruptly pulled away from the scene.

-,-

The last few hours dragged on and Hiccup tried his best to stay awake, even proceeding to sketch dragons in his notebook to keep himself from drifting off in the middle of class. The words on the blackboard had turned into a blurry mess to the point he was continuously rubbing his eyes and suppressing yawns.

When the bell finally rang, Hiccup let out of sigh of relief and began gathering his things into a neat pile. Scott Jorgenson decided to stride past him, knocking all of his books down on the floor and not looking the least bit apologetic for it.

Hiccup glared after him but didn't speak up. It would only escalate the situation and he wasn't in the mood to be beat up today.

He soon spotted his best friend Frankie as he stepped out the school building while seemingly fumbling with his phone.

The husky boy looked up to address his best friend with a broad smile.

"There you are Hiccup," he said. "What took you so long?"

Hiccup sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Scott."

Frankie caught on immediately, grimacing in sympathy. As they began walking towards the bus-stop the conversation quickly switched over to their science project and Frankie couldn't stop raving about all the possibilities however futile they might be.

"..If my calculations are correct, I believe these are the right coordinates," Frankie exclaimed excitedly. "Oh Hiccup, we are going to be famous!"

Hiccup pulled up the zipline of his bubble jacket as the temperature outside had begun to drop with the descending sun. Frankie rambled on.

"..I mean we have yet to test it out but theoretically speaking, it makes perfect sense."

The bus finally arrived and they settled down on the nearest empty seats. Hiccup glanced out the window and saw fellow students in haste to catch up. One person in particular captured his interest as usual. Ingrid Larson.

For as far back as Hiccup could recall, he had been crushing on Ingrid. She was the prettiest girl at their school with her curly red hair and hazel eyes. One time their hands had accidentally touched as he passed her a pencil. It wasn't much but he considered it progress, especially when bearing in mind where they had started off.

"Hiccup? Are you even listening?" Frankie shook his shoulder. "We need to get off now."

Hiccup felt his mind bubble burst and stood up. Since his mother Vivian was away at a conference again, the house was empty the whole week. This left him and Frankie the perfect opportunity to work on their generator.

They had intended for it to be a device that would inflate the cracks and tears in the fabric of space and time. That way they might be able to create portals into alternate dimensions. It all sounded very neat in theory but Hiccup knew deep down it wasn't plausible and the entire idea was borrowed from science fiction. He knew Frankie did as well in spite of the enthusiasm the husky boy displayed on a daily basis. But that didn't deter either of them from continuing to work on it.

Hiccup opened the garage door, throwing his backpack by the doorway. Frankie followed suit, grinning from sheer excitement.

They tweaked and played with the device for roughly two hours before Frankie called it a night, heading home just in time for dinner.

Hiccup remained in the garage even after Frankie made his leave, feeling too unmotivated to start on his homework.

-,-

He found himself deep inside the forest again and this time remembered the trail to his intended destination. It took longer than expected but he was standing on top of the cove again, overlooking the view.

He stepped towards the sleeping dragon hanging upside down. In some ways it was quite an amusing sight but Hiccup dared not to laugh.

Emerald green eyes shot open and in a swift move, the winged reptile was in front of him, regarding him with curiosity.

Hiccup reached out towards it but drew back at the sound of a hiss. It didn't escape his notice that this dragon had no teeth. It was...

"…Toothless," he mumbled.

He tried reaching for 'Toothless' again when an unexpected third party made their presence known.

"Look out!" he heard an unfamiliar voice shout and then felt himself be pinned down on the muddy ground. "Run! Run!"

He turned to regard this person but suddenly found himself weightless as the world around him faded to black.

Hiccup gasped as his eyes opened and found himself lying on the cold garage floor.

His back was aching as he stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. He didn't think anything of the mud that coated his hands at first until he stepped into the hallway and passed a body-length mirror.

Hiccup froze up.

He was covered from head to toe in dirt and even some grass strands despite having been inside the garage the whole time where he had slumbered off.

His eyes widened as the flash of the dragon sprung into his mind. But just as quickly, he shook the thought off.

It was only just a dream. There was nothing more to it.

-,-

Hiccup waited for Frankie by the lockers. The cafeteria was too noisy at this time of the day and he already had a headache going on from not getting enough sleep the night before.

The bell rang and as predicted his best friend stepped out, oddly enough, looking more chipper than usual. Hiccup didn't get much time to analyze his friend's good mood as Scott Jorgenson approached him from behind.

"Out of my way loser!" Scott chuckled and shoved him aggressively against the lockers as he passed him by. Hiccup grunted from the forceful attack, grasping his midsection in pain as everyone around him choked with laughter.

"Hiccup, are you alright?" Frankie rushed over in concern, trying to help him stand straight.

Hiccup forced a smile. "I'm fine," he grumbled.

His eyes briefly flickered to Ingrid and he felt his face fall as he saw her lock hands with Scott while the two of them exited the building. Hiccup sighed to himself.

Frankie patted him on the shoulder in comfort knowing full well about Hiccup's feelings for Ingrid. "I'm sorry, Hiccup."

Hiccup shook his head, wanting to change the subject.

"So I made some essential changes on our lab report last night and you might want to have a look-over before our presentation. If we hurry we could catch the bus just now."

Frankie bit his lip, averting his eyes as a blush suddenly bloomed over his face. "Um, actually," Frankie started. "Can we take a raincheck on that?"

Hiccup frowned. "Why?"

Frankie could no longer suppress his smile. " _Heather_ asked me to help her with her science project," he blurted out. "She wants me to come over to her house tonight!"

"Oh." Hiccup smiled, happy on his friend's behalf. "How about tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow works great!" Frankie agreed, still grinning from ear to ear.

-,-

Something was amiss. Hiccup could feel it the moment he settled down on his bed. Unlike the previous nights, there weren't any forests surrounding him. He was still inside his room wrapped up in warm blankets.

Hiccup tried to sleep, hoping to travel back to the familiar cove but found himself unable to doze off.

It was almost past midnight when he hard a loud clash downstairs on the first floor, followed by light footsteps. Hiccup knew his mother was not to be home yet so that meant a burglar must have barged inside their house.

His phone was discharged so dialing for help wasn't an option at the moment. With shaky hands he grabbed the baseball bat off his wall and descended down the stairs, flicking on the lights on the way.

Having rummaged through the whole house, he saw nothing out of ordinary except for the smoke coming from the door connected to the garage. Hiccup took a deep breath and then kicked the door open.

As he stepped forward he suddenly found himself entering the cove.

"Toothless?" he called out unsurely.

The dragon appeared in front of him, looking joyous for a moment before growling at something behind him. Hiccup knitted his eyebrows and turned around to see a blonde girl his age clutching onto a large axe.

"You again!" she hissed and tried to move past him, heading straight for the dragon.

Toothless tensed up and began preparing his counter-attack.

Hiccup felt panic rise within him and decided to interfere before any blood was shed.

He pulled the axe out of the girl's hold and strung her down to the ground with him.

Toothless immediately calmed down.. and the whole place was suddenly pitch black.

Hiccup groaned, squinting at the bright light and rubbing his head from the fall. He soon noticed the garage room was full of smoke and coughed his way to the source of it which appeared to be the generator he and Frankie had built together.

It had all but collapsed apart.

-,-

After taking a shower and rubbing his hair dry with a towel, Hiccup made his way back to bed. He couldn't quite comprehend what was happening to him but he knew it was out of the norm. He really needed to speak to Frankie in the morning.

He closed his eyes shut and there was a long moment of stillness where his mind went blank.

He didn't notice the air in the room shift until he felt something cool resting against his neck.

Hiccup snapped his eyes open and slowly moved his arm back to switch the nightlight on, his heart drumming inside his ears.

The sight he was met with was unexpected to say the least, making him gape in shock.

Next to his bedside stood a beautiful blonde girl looking furious as hell and holding an axe to his bare throat.

 _"Where did you hide that dragon?"_

* * *

 **AN: I'm going through so much pain right now so this is just a silly 'therapy' fic I have written for myself. I'm still planning to update my other stories but that probably will not happen until I fully recover from my surgery. So please bear with me. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup gulped. This couldn't be real, it had to be a dream.

"Answer my question!" the girl hissed, baring her white teeth.

"You are.. in my.. bedroom?" he squeaked out at last. "How is this possible?"

The girl suddenly looked taken aback, noticing her new foreign surroundings for the first time. "Is this not.. Berk?" An alarming look struck her face. "Where am I?"

Hiccup took this opportunity to snatch the axe out of her grip, throwing it on the bed behind him.

"Hey! Give that back to me!"

Hiccup held up his hands in defense. "Not.. until you _calm down_ first," he insisted. "Please."

The girl frantically stepped around the room, clearly panicked. "What is this place!" she exclaimed. "Take me back to Berk! Now!"

"I don't know how you got here," Hiccup retorted. "Or where this 'Berk' is.."

The blonde stopped short, shooting him an incredulous look. "How can you not know where Berk is? It's one of the most notorious Viking islands in the Archipelago! The Hooligan tribe-"

"Hold on... did you say _Viking_ islands?" he interrupted her. "You're a... Viking?"

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. As if her being a Viking was the most obvious thing in the world. "Aren't you a Viking?"

Hiccup shook his head slowly, "No."

She started pacing again.

Hiccup scratched the back of his head, not sure of how to proceed from the current ongoing debacle. "My name is Hiccup Haddock," he started, taking a hesitant step forward to reach for her.

The girl swatted his hands away but halted her frantic movements. She looked him up and down curiously. "Astrid," she mumbled out her own name.

Hiccup nodded, biting his lip and shifting on one foot awkwardly. "So what is the last thing you remember Astrid?" he asked, trying to make sense of the unusual situation.

"I remember being in the forest and- You were there! I remember seeing you with that.. that dragon!" she scowled. "Where is he?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Is that really so important right now?" he huffed. "I mean, don't you want to know where you are?"

Astrid's eyes widened and she grew fearful again. "Tell me."

Hiccup took a deep breath, sinking down on the bed behind him. "If my suspicions are correct.. I think there has been sort of 'time-glitch' and you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, looking wistful. "Which led you to end up here."

Astrid frowned. "I don't get it."

Hiccup sighed. "Okay, so you know about the concept of yesterday and tomorrow, right?" She nodded. "Well this is a.. distant tomorrow, far into the future. A different realm. Yesterday happened many centuries ago."

"Centuries?" she mumbled, knitting her eyebrows. "No, no. This doesn't make any sense to me. You are making this up!"

In a sudden blur she grabbed her axe and then decided to jump out the open bedroom window.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" Hiccup rushed to the window-hill to see her sprint across the dark street.

Hiccup quickly grabbed his jacket and ran downstairs to exit out the door. He found his bike by the garage and began following her trail.

Astrid was quick and light on her feet, moving faster than anyone he had ever seen before. But the bike still gave him an advantage and he managed to catch up just as she collapsed down on her knees by one of the street lamps as she realized there was no way out of this neverending labyrinth. "I want to go home," she cried, hugging her axe close to her chest.

Hiccup held out his hand towards her. "I don't know how but we will try everything to get you back, I promise," he tried to reassure. "Just please.. come back inside. It's not safe out here."

Astrid didn't take his hand but stood up and began following him back to his house.

-,-

The young Viking girl looked very much out of place sleeping on the couch in his living room. The look on her face resembled the one of a baby animal brought into a foreign environment.

Hiccup ran his hands through his mop of hair, waiting for Frankie to pick up his phone. It was almost morning but his friend appeared to be completely out of it.

After failing to reach Frankie, Hiccup made it over to his garage to look at the burnt generator. He wondered if it had been the cause of the disturbance or whether this whole thing was nothing more than a mere coincidence.

There was one thought in particular he kept coming back to. If Astrid was real and she was here, then what about Toothless? Was he still back at the cove on 'Berk' or had he somehow followed Astrid here? What else could have escaped through this unexpected 'time portal'?

Feeling overwhelmed by sleep, he decided to head up to his bedroom. Roughly an hour later, he woke up to the sound of his alarm clock and quickly dashed down to see if Astrid was still where he had left her with the giant axe tucked against her chest.

She appeared to be fast asleep and he decided against waking her since he would be back again in a couple of hours.

-,-

Hiccup walked in silence next to Frankie as he chatted with Heather.

It seemed like a never-ending conversation and Hiccup felt his patience starting to wear thin by the time Heather left to catch her ride.

"Is everything alright, Hiccup? You look a little tired," Frankie noted. "The circles underneath your eyes are even darker than usual."

Hiccup huffed, rolling his eyes. "Why didn't you answer my call? I tried calling you three times yesterday."

Frankie looked taken aback by his best friend's unusually angry tone. "I must have accidentally put it on silence?" he responded slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Wait, why are you so ticked off?"

Hiccup sighed, rubbing his eyes. He was letting his lack of sleep get the better of him. "Sorry, I just.. There is something really important that I need to show you Frankie," he told him seriously.

Frankie looked to be musing. "Does it have to do with our.. project?"

"Sort of, yeah." Hiccup cast his eyes down, a smile touching his face for the first time that day.

Frankie's eyes widened. "Alright. I'll come over after choir practice."

-,-

Hiccup rushed back home on his bike, deciding to skip his next two classes as he had more pressing matters to attend to.

He looked frantically around the house for the Viking girl but found her vanished from sight.

 _Where had she gone?_

While he paced around the kitchen, he suddenly noticed the back-door was ajar. He stepped out to his backyard and then saw a rusty axe lying on the earthy floor.

He bent down to pick it up.

"I told you to not to touch my axe."

Hiccup flinched, looking up in bewilderment to see Astrid's legs dangling off a tree branch while she munched on one of his neighbour's apples.

He opened and closed his mouth at the sight of her.

She seemed utterly unconcerned however, throwing the half-eaten apple down on the ground before helping herself with a new one.

Hiccup couldn't decide whether he was amused by the Viking girl's antics or scared of what Mrs. Henderson would think when she realized someone had stolen apples from her tree. She would most likely accuse him of said act and his mother would then ground him for a whole week.

Astrid somersaulted down in front of him and grabbed her axe.

"So when are you taking me back to Berk?"

* * *

 **AN: If you think this story is nonsensical, then that's because it is. xD It's just a 'fun' thing I wrote for myself. Next chapter will be up soon-ish, I just need to edit it.**


	3. Chapter 3

The sapphire-eyed Viking girl looked at him expectantly.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, shifting from foot to foot. "I'm not sure yet," he said. "But my friend is coming by and maybe he might be able to help us."

Astrid didn't say anything and instead flung her double-edged axe at the tree behind them, making Hiccup jerk in surprise.

"What are you-"

Astrid withdrew the axe from the bark and then sliced it open anew.

If anyone were to walk by, they might call the police seeing how real and lethal her axe looked. If Hiccup was honest, he was bit weary of the weapon himself.

He took a hold over Astrid's arm before she could proceed any further. "Um, hey.. what are you doing?" he asked, smiling nervously.

Astrid blinked, letting her shoulders sink. "De-stressing, what else?" she said with a exasperate sigh, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hiccup coughed back a laugh, moving his hands back and forth awkwardly as he spoke. "Oh.. um.. okay. Why don't we.. err.. go inside while we wait?"

"What's inside?" she asked skeptically but nevertheless lowered her axe, letting Hiccup lead her indoors and back into the living room.

Hiccup flopped down on the couch while Astrid glared at the empty space for a moment before sinking down next to him.

They sat in silence, listening to the clock on the wall tick. Finding the stillness awkward to bear, Hiccup cleared his throat and he reached for the remote, intending to put on the next episode of Game of Thrones. He had some catching up to do and it didn't hurt to have some company to watch it along with.

As soon as the TV screen lit on however, Astrid all but freaked out.

Hiccup mentally facepalmed at his own carelessness and pulled the axe out of her clutches before she could throw it at the offensive, and immensely expensive, screen.

Still feeling out of her element, Astrid resorted to ducking behind the couch where she curled into a fetus position.

Hiccup rushed over to her, kneeling by her side but also keeping his distance. "You are used to fighting dragons but scared off by the TV, really?"

"Hey, I don't know what a 'TV' is!" she hissed, tightened her fists. "I would like to see you stuck somewhere where you don't belong."

Hiccup held up his hands in defense. "You are right.. you are right. This is all foreign to you. You have never been around technology.. what was I thinking?" he muttered to himself.

The doorbell rang and Astrid let out another surprised yelp.

Hiccup hurried over to answer it, finding Frankie on the other side of the threshold, looking beyond elated.

"Oh Hiccup, I can't believe it worked!" he exclaimed. "I always hoped it would. Wait, what am I rambling on about? Of course it would-.. I.. uh, why are you holding an axe?"

Hiccup let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, about that.."

"It's my axe!" Astrid's voice interjected and Frankie's eyes widened as he registered her presence.

"Hiccup, if I'm not mistaken.. um, is that a girl hiding under your dining table?"

"Why, yes it is," Hiccup said, shutting the front-door and leaning against it.

Frankie stared at him in puzzlement.

Hiccup sighed.

"You might want to sit down for this."

-,-

"How long have you been visiting this 'cove'?" Frankie inquired, still appearing a bit sceptic of the entire ordeal. He scrunched his nose at what remained of the generator they had built together, picking the pieces up and studying them.

"For a week or two," Hiccup replied, setting his laptop back on the desk. "At first I thought it was all just a dream, no matter how vivid it felt," he mused. "But then Astrid shows up and she is very much real as you can see."

"And now you are no longer able to see Toothless?"

"No."

Frankie pursed lips thoughtfully. "I will need some time to absorb.. all of this. It's a bit much to take in."

Hiccup nodded, watching his friend pace back and forth. "Yeah.. I understand."

Frankie closed his eyes for a few seconds and then reopened them with a wide grin.

"Okay."

Hiccup looked at him incredulously. "What..? Just like _that_?"

Frankie pulled him into side-ways hug. "Hiccup, you are my best friend in the entire world, we known each other since kindergarten and spend almost every hour of every day together. You have never lied to me before and I know for a fact you would never make something like this up, and besides.. how cool would it be to see a real life dragon!"

Hiccup returned his smile. "You have no idea."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"I'm not sure how you are going to uphold your promise to Astrid though," Frankie continued in a wistful tone.

"What do you mean?"

Frankie grimaced. "Like you said, we don't know for sure what caused this accidental 'time-glitch' or whatever this is, and this thing looks beyond repair," he pointed out, dropping the chunks down on the ground. "We worked on it for years, Hiccup."

"I know, I know," Hiccup sighed. "But I have to try. There has to be some other way."

Frankie leaned back against the wall, watching his friend curiously. "But you also have to entertain the idea that there might not be anything that can be done."

"So you mean I'm stuck here?" Astrid blurted out, surprising them both with her sudden presence by the doorway.

Frankie shifted nervously. "We don't know for sure yet but it's possible.."

"Ugh!" Astrid's expression hardened. "Well if you can't help me find my way back home then I will find it myself!" she exclaimed and then practically burst out of the door.

Hiccup glared at his husky friend.

"What?" Frankie said, shrinking under his gaze. "She deserves to know the truth!"

-,-

"Last time, she didn't get very far on foot," Hiccup said. "But then she didn't have the broad daylight to her advantage."

They searched on their bikes through the whole neighbourhood without as much as a sign to the Valkyrie in training.

"Hiccup, we will never find her this way," Franke whined, panting while they took a break outside the town-mall. "She could be anywhere by now!"

Hiccup tightened his lips. "We are not going to stop looking for her, Frankie," he said determinedly. "She has got to be here somewhere."

As the boys left their spot by the parking lot, a red, slick dragon became visible for a fleeting moment before vanishing into thin air.

* * *

 **AN: More ridiculousness and nonsense ahead!**


	4. Chapter 4

Astrid was running down a busy street which was hugged by tall 'huts' made of some kind of stone. She could feel the stares of people she passed by but didn't to stop until her legs gave out.

These houses were so high up in the sky it was hard to see anything from the ground. While she waited to catch her breath by a dark, secluded corner, a guy clad in strange, womanly clothing walked up to her.

"Let me guess," he said, gesturing over her outfit. "Some watered down version of female Thor?"

Astrid blinked at him, genuinely confused.

"Your cosplay, sweetie," the guy clarified. "Although I would lose the axe if were you and replace it with a hammer."

Astrid scowled, hugging her mother's axe closer to her chest and then ventured past the obnoxious stranger.

She didn't have any clear route in mind but halted her movements once she arrived by a tall block decorated in metal bars. An idea sprung to her mind suddenly and she fastened her axe to her belt-buckle before making a high enough leap that would let her grab onto the railing.

She almost lost her balance as she pulled up her weight but managed to steady herself once she began climbing upwards.

-,-

Hiccup and Frankie had been searching for over an hour when they heard from bypassers that were was an unusual crowd forming downtown.

"It has to be her. We should hurry up!"

In a matter minutes they arrived their destination which was cramped with a small gathering of onlookers, some even holding out their cellphones.

"Hiccup, look!" Frankie exclaimed, pointing at a metal-studded building.

"Oh Thor," Hiccup cursed as he watched the Astrid somersault her way up another floor, landing in one of the small balconies and then climbing over the railing again to repeat the process.

"Oh yeah, she definitely is a Viking," Frankie said with a grin which died upon the glare he received from Hiccup.

"We need to get her down, Frankie. She is going to hurt herself. Come on!"

They ran over to the fire-stairs which looked more decorative than practical as they were incredibly narrow and rusty. Hiccup had to stand on top of Frankie's shoulders to even be able to reach the first step.

-,-

Astrid had almost reached over the upper facade when she heard someone call her name. Confused, she carefully turned about to see Hiccup gripping onto some sort of fence, his knuckles almost turning white.

"Astrid!" he shouted again. "You are going to get yourself killed if you keep this up!"

Astrid cast her eyes downwards to see how far she had made it and then shook her head.

"Astrid, please listen to me," Hiccup pleaded, barely holding himself up against the frictionless surface while attempting to move closer to her.

"What does it matter?" she shouted back, voice strained with bitterness. "I don't belong here, Hiccup. I just don't."

With as much effort as he could muster, Hiccup tiptoed onto a window sill and then jumped into the balcony Astrid was standing outside of. He earned gasps from the crowd below for his foolish heroics but was too high on the adrenaline rushing through him to pay it any mind.

"Are you crazy? You could have fallen down!" Astrid shouted as he approached her.

"Still not as crazy as the girl that decided to climb up eleven floors," he reminded her with narrow eyes. "Astrid, take my hand. I promised you I would get you home and I will. You have to trust me."

"But Frankie said.."

"It doesn't matter what Frankie said. I never back down on my word, okay?"

She sighed and then turned to face him, looking bashful and apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she muttered and let him help her climb over. She slipped straight into his arms and this erupted a wave of applause from their unwanted audience.

"Good job dispersing the crowd, Frankie," Hiccup muttered sarcastically.

-,-

"What an insane day!" Frankie exclaimed excitedly. "Just wait until Heather hears about this-"

"No," Hiccup cut him off. "You are not going to tell anyone about this, Frankie," he stated firmly. "It stays between the two of us."

Frankie felt his shoulders drop in disappointment but nodded nevertheless.

Astrid descended down the stairs, wrapped in nothing but a towel barely reaching her knees. This made both of the teenage boys turn scarlet.

Hiccup scratched his head nervously. "Uh, is everything alright?"

Astrid shyly peered down on the floor. "I don't know how to turn the water on," she mumbled.

Hiccup's eyes widened in realization. "Oh.. Of course. I'll.. I'll show you," he stammered, ignoring Frankie's snickering as he followed her up to the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom.

"If you twist the handle this way, the water turns cold and.." he demonstrated as he explained. "And now it's warm. The tap on the sink runs the same way and the.. um.."

"I figured out the rest out, don't worry," she cut him off with a blush. "Thank you for your help."

Hiccup shot her a genuine smile. "Don't mention it. Just go to my room when you are done, I have laid out some of my mom's clothes for you to wear."

Astrid nodded again.

-,-

To no one's surprise, Frankie quickly became enamoured with Viking culture and history, almost hanging on to every word Astrid uttered of her homelife.

"So you guys fight actual dragons? That's so cool!"

Astrid's mouth turned into a grim-line. "It's not _cool_. This war has been going on for centuries and they have killed hundred of us. Just getting through everyday is a fight and a struggle."

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "But haven't you guys killed dozens of them? What if these dragons are just.. I don't know.. misunderstood?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "A dragon killed my uncle right before my eyes! They are vicious creatures only out for blood and destruction, Hiccup."

Hiccup thought back to his encounters with Toothless and how Astrid's description of the winged reptiles didn't seem to ring true when it came to him. But he chose to remain tight-lipped about it in that moment, not wanting agitate the shieldmaiden.

"For someone so small, you really eat a lot," Frankie commented as Astrid picked up another slice of cheese pizza.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him while Hiccup coughed back a chuckle.

They continued to reminisce on past events until Frankie at last stood up to make his leave.

"My mom just texted me so I really should be heading home now," he announced with a sigh. "Don't get up to anything fun without me, you two. I'm warning you."

"We won't," Hiccup promised.

After Frankie's departure, Hiccup began clearing away the leftovers while Astrid finished up her last slice. His mother's clothes had really overwhelmed her so she ended up in one of his t-shirts and an old pair of shorts instead. Nevertheless, it was strange seeing her dressed so casually.

"So what did you think of the pizza?" he asked, breaking the sudden stillness again.

Astrid shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Food is food. I'm not that picky."

"Oh, is the food on Berk that bad?" he joked.

"It's pretty tasteless, the people even more so," she said with a fading smile. "But it's home. My home."

-,-

It was far past midnight when Hiccup felt someone shake him on the shoulders. He bolted upright and flickered the light on only to see Astrid standing next to his bedside. It was eerily similar to their first encounter except she didn't seem half as threatening this time around. Instead, she looked rather vulnerable and almost fearful.

"Astrid.." he whispered her name. "Is everything okay?"

She curled her arms around herself in response.

"Can I.. stay here?"

Hiccup felt his cheeks grow hot. He had never slept next to someone before, let alone a beautiful Viking girl. He cleared his throat and nodded, making room for her to occupy. Fortunately his bed was big enough for two people.

Astrid drifted off almost immediately but Hiccup found himself unable to sleep now. The fact that she was here still astounded him and he couldn't help but wonder if there was an ulterior reason behind all of this.

* * *

 **AN: A big thank you to everyone who left a review, it means a lot. I honestly didn't expect anyone to enjoy this silliness.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup shut his locker and leaned against it. The exhaustion was weighing in on him from lack of sleep and the soreness caused by yesterday's surprising turn of events. He had not lead a very active lifestyle in the past so his spontaneous rescue mission had put quite a strain on his muscles. He suspected this was about to become the norm for him and he better get used to it.

"There you are!" Frankie exclaimed cheerily. "Is Astrid still.."

"Asleep, last I checked. She promised not to wander off on her own again so I'm blindly relying on that."

"Great! Then I will come over after last period," Frankie declared. "By the way, have you thought about what you will do when your mom gets back?"

Hiccup sighed. "Have not thought that far yet, no."

Some giggling cheerleaders passed them then and it almost appeared as if they were shooting Hiccup flirtatious smiles but neither Frankie nor Hiccup thought much of it.

When the bell rang, Hiccup parted ways with Frankie, heading for his history class. He seated himself by his usual window seat and started unpacking his backpack. Unbeknownst to him, someone had sank down on the neighbouring seat.

"Hi," a feminine voice greeted him.

Hiccup tensed, warily lifting his gaze up to see Ingrid of all people choosing to evade his space. "Uh.. Hi," he replied as nonchalantly as he could, trying to hide the fact that his chest felt like it was about to burst.

Ingrid opened her notebook, splaying it out in front of her. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here," she said, leaning forward on her elbows to rest her face in her hands. "I'm struggling with some of the questions and I hear you are quite the history buff."

Hiccup blushed turned five shades darker. "I wouldn't go as far to say that," he laughed nervously, clearing his throat. "But sure, I can help you out."

Ingrid smiled at him faintly just as the teacher decided to walk in. Despite this being one of his top subjects, Hiccup's focus stayed primarily on the pretty redhead the whole time. It was like he had stepped inside an alternative universe. Ingrid had never paid him attention before and he wondered what had spurred this sudden interest.

He and Ingrid were conveniently the last to leave when the class finished and she even accompanied him halfway to his locker where Frankie stood and waited.

"I better get going, Scott is waiting for me in the car."

Hiccup let out a forced chuckle, rolling his shoulders awkwardly. "Scott.. yeah." He watched her leave with a heavy heart.

"What was that?" he heard Frankie ask from behind. "First the whole thing with the dragons and Astrid, and now Ingrid is talking to you?"

Hiccup shook his head in disbelief.

"I have no idea what is going on anymore."

Frankie laughed uneasily. "Uh, be prepared to be even more amazed," he said, looking down at his smartphone. "Heather sent me this earlier."

Hiccup frowned, moving closer to take a peek at the animated screen. His eyes widened in mortification. "Is that.."

"Yep. Someone captured your heroic actions on camera and uploaded the entire thing on YouTube," Frankie interjected. "Woa.. look at the views on this thing."

Hiccup sighed, banging his head against the metallic cabinet. "Great," he muttered sarcastically. "Just what I needed."

-,-

He found Astrid out in the backyard again, axe raised high while seemingly glaring into the forest. He wondered what could have provoked her this time round.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, carefully placing a hand on her shoulderguard to draw her attention.

Astrid regarded him with knitted eyebrows. "I think I saw something," she whispered. "But it disappeared before I had the chance to strike it."

Hiccup's frown deepened. "Astrid.."

"Shh, did you hear that.." she muttered quietly.

Hiccup shook his head, thoroughly confused. "No. I didn't hear anything." He briefly wondered if he was hard of hearing when Astrid suddenly changed her stance.

"There it is again. Come on!" she seethed and jumped over the white fence, heading straight into the unknown.

Hiccup had no choice but follow after despite his weary limbs. Astrid was incredibly fast and nimble and he often struggled to keep up with her. They ran through an array of trees and bushes until they ended up by a lakeside.

Hiccup tried to catch his breath. "I don't understand, what is it you exactly saw?" he panted.

A fire lit up in her azure eyes.

"The dragons," she stated in a somber, cold tone. ".. they are here, Hiccup. I can feel it."

"What?" Hiccup gaped at her. "Are you sure?"

Astrid began searching around the small area, kicking at the leaves and twigs in her way. "It was small and green, looked almost like a Terrible Terror."

"A terrible.. what?" Hiccup echoed, now joining in on the trackdown. If it indeed was what Astrid had described then it could have easily able blended in with the environment.

Failing to locate the alleged dragon she saw, Hiccup eventually managed to convince Astrid to return to his house.

-,-

Frankie clapped his hands together excitedly. "I can't believe I missed out on the dragon hunting. When can we go again?"

"We don't even know if that was a dragon, Frankie," Hiccup scoffed, mouth curved downwards. "And we are not _hunting_ it."

Astrid entered the room, jutting her axe down on the wooden floor. "Most dragons have a disadvantage in the darkness."

Hiccup remained unconvinced. "It's not safe for us either, Astrid."

Astrid stepped closer to where he leaned by the wall. "What is life without a little danger, Hiccup?" she tried to tempt.

"Peaceful? Ideal?" Frankie offered from behind.

Hiccup shook his head again. "Astrid, I said no. There are far worse things lurking out there and I'm not risking it."

"What could possibly be worse than a dragon?" she huffed.

Hiccup stayed undeterred, making Astrid sigh in surrender. "Fine," she relented and then tugged on her blonde braid self-consciously. "Is there any food around here?"

It suddenly dawned to Hiccup that they had skipped all three meals. He opened the kitchen cabinets to look for something to eat but found them all empty.

Frankie decided to intervene. "Hiccup, I was supposed to meet up with Heather at that new burger shack before we canceled. Why don't the three of us eat out tonight? What about the diner downtown?"

Astrid scrunched her nose cutely. "What's a 'burger'?"

Hiccup took a moment to mull over the suggestion. "As long as you keep tight-lipped about Astrid," he stressed to his best friend and then turned to address Astrid again, eyeing her massive hatchet. "You can't take that with you."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. Needless to say, she wasn't very pleased about leaving her axe behind.

-,-

Astrid sat on the handlebars of Hiccup's bike while he pedaled them to their designated destination. The wind swept through her golden tresses as they went down a sharp hill and she couldn't help the exhilarated laugh that escaped her, making Hiccup smile to himself.

"Enjoying yourself?" he teased. She didn't answer, merely gripping onto the bars more firmly.

They arrived by the shack in a matter of moments. Hiccup and Frankie parked their bikes by the cyclestand outside, locking them up.

Astrid frowned at the crowded space that was visible through the windows, clearly feeling out of her element again. Hiccup noticed her apprehensiveness and entwined their hands as a silent reassurance. Astrid visibly relaxed then, subconsciously leaning into him.

The music was a bit loud, making Astrid cringe but she quickly put on an emotionless facade. They fumbled through people until they found an empty table to occupy.

The boys ended up deciding the order, choosing a variety of items for Astrid to try.

She quickly took to the fries and the chicken wings although the spice on the latter also caused a burning sensation, making her grimace. "It's really.."

".. hot?" Hiccup chuckled, looking smug. "Told you so."

She was now regretting her 'I'm a Viking, a little pain doesn't scare me' speech she had given him just moments prior.

"Here, drink this," he offered a sweet, soothing drink. Both Frankie and Hiccup watched her eat with intrigue the whole time.

"It's strange, all these new flavours," Astrid commented once finished.

-,-

As the trio exited the busy diner, Astrid suddenly stopped short. "Wait."

Hiccup and Frankie shot one another confused glances. "What is it?"

Astrid growled. "It's here and I don't have my axe, Thordammit!" she curled her fists. Hiccup and Frankie followed her eyeline to see a dark small lizard like creature sitting on top of a pole, hissing into the night.

Frankie gasped in delight while Hiccup had to hold Astrid back from leaping after the supposed dragon.

"How did it get here?" he muttered to himself.

"The same way Astrid got here?" Frankie offered. "So what are we going to do?"

Hiccup contemplated his next actions as he scrutinized it from afar. The dragon appeared to be injured.

"He is hurt," Hiccup observed. "Look at the leg. We can't just leave him here guys."

Astrid managed to fumble herself out his grip and climbed up the pole until she was face to face with the reptile. The dragon warbled, shooting her a pitiful look.

"Astrid, don't!" Hiccup shouted. "It's just a small baby," he pleaded from below. "... just bring him down, please."

Astrid hesitated for a moment before collecting the dragon into her arms and jumping down. She landed elegantly on bent knees. Hiccup and Frankie quickly rushed forward to take a closer look.

"Give him to me," Hiccup demanded. Astrid complied albeit reluctantly. "We should take him back to my house," he decided upon further inspection.

-,-

Frankie helped him wrap the dragon up while Astrid leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.

"I don't think he is going to make it," Frankie whispered. "His heartbeat is really weak."

Hiccup furrowed his brows. "Who could have possibly done this?"

Frankie glanced at Astrid who rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me. It's the first time I see this dragon."

Hiccup sighed. "His breathing is growing more ragged," he noted.

"Not exactly how I was hoping for our first dragon encounter to go," Frankie muttered sadly.

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, me neither."

-,-

Hiccup rested his face in his hands. Darkshot survived through the night and was currently under Frankie's care who had taken the school day off to look after their new friend. Astrid still wasn't too thrilled with the whole idea but kept herself in check, even surprising Hiccup by helping him change the bandages at one point.

"Are you ready for the test today?"

He looked up to see Ingrid slump her bag on the table as she lowered down on the chair next to him.

Hiccup sighed, rubbing his eyes. "As ready as I can be. You?"

Ingrid shrugged. "I'll try my best."

They both finished around the same time and found themselves walking down the hall together afterwards.

"That last question might have fucked up the entire thing for me," Ingrid chuckled.

Hiccup laughed along nervously. "Yeah, me too," he lied.

Ingrid bit her lip, holding her books closer against her chest. "Are you free this Friday?"

Hiccup snapped his head up in surprise, staring at her in bewilderment.

She pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. "I thought.. maybe we could hang out or something."

Hiccup let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the top of his head. "Um, what about Scott?"

Ingrid's smile waned slightly. "It's.. complicated but don't worry about it. Scott will not be a problem."

That was unfortunately easier said than done.

* * *

 **AN: Getting weirder?**


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup laid awake staring at the sleeping girl next to him. Astrid seemed much less unintimidating in this state and her innocence really shined through. He had expected her to be hostile after they had brought Darkshot home but the anger within her had all but diminished. Astrid might not be in favour of dragons but that didn't mean she was altogether unfeeling and heartless. Upon seeing the baby dragon in so much pain, Hiccup detected a hint of sympathy in her eyes. He liked to think he might have influenced her a little.

Astrid suddenly shifted in her sleep and a few loose tendrils fell over her nose. Hiccup resisted the urge to brush them away.

Frankie had stayed over because of Darkshot and was currently occupying the couch downstairs. The bed in Vivian's room was available but Frankie didn't know that and Hiccup preferred to keep it that way. His sleepovers with Astrid were naught but her seeking comfort in a foreign environment. She trusted him and he didn't want to give her any reason not to.

While studying the flaxen haired beauty, Hiccup's mind briefly flickered over to his longtime crush. Ingrid had suggested a movie date at their local theatre. The word 'date' still tasted peculiar on Hiccup's tongue. He never imagined he would be going out with anyone, let alone one of the most popular girls in school.

Astrid mumbled something in her sleep, curling her fists and disrupting Hiccup's reveries. Her mouth had now turned into a pout and she was frowning. Hiccup wondered if she was dreaming of something unpleasant or perhaps her homeplace.

She always went into great details about the war and even the internal conflict between Berk's Chieftain Henrik the Ferocious and the head of the Jorgenson clan who had been next in line to take over after their previous leader had passed away. But she rarely spoke much of her own family. Maybe it was a delicate subject so Hiccup never pushed it. All he knew was that the Hoffersons were acclaimed, proud warriors much like Astrid herself and that she missed her parents, often calling for them in her sleep.

Hiccup didn't know how but somehow Astrid had shifted closer to him and when he finally dozed off, he could feel the heat of her body radiating next to him.

-,-

Frankie cooed at the baby dragon in his arms, looking no less enamored nearly two days later.

Astrid rolled her eyes at the sickeningly sweet sight and took a spoonful of 'cereal' in her mouth. It was something that had made her grimace the first time but she had now grown more accustomed to the taste, even enjoying it. The most difficult thing to get used to thus far had been the 'toothpaste'. It was supposedly a substitute for the herbal-leaf paste she was used to cleaning her teeth with but had a much more sour aftertaste.

Hiccup appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe I overslept and missed class _again_ , why didn't you guys wake me up?"

Astrid snorted. "It wasn't for the lack of trying, trust me."

Frankie, still in his own bubble, smiled brightly upon seeing his disheveled best friend. "Hiccup I was thinking we should try to find Darkshot's family," he proposed. "As much as I love the little guy, he needs to be with his own. Aw, look at him," his voice grew more adoring. "He needs his parents."

Hiccup let out an awkward laugh, scratching the top of his head. "Not tonight, Frankie. I, uh.. I have some other plans.. for tonight," he mumbled, cheeks turning slightly pink.

Frankie eyed him skeptically while Astrid quirked an eyebrow.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up dramatically. "Oh for the love of- I'm meeting Ingrid tonight," he blurted out. "...at the movies."

Frankie let out a surprised gasp. "Hiccup! You finally asked Ingrid out? That's amazing!"

Hiccup shook his head. "She is the one who asked me out," he admitted.

"So what, you have a girlfriend now?" Astrid teased.

Hiccup grew even more flustered. "No, Ingrid is just-"

"The girl he has been pining after for years," Frankie interjected and Hiccup shot him an annoyed look. "What? It's the truth."

"I didn't peg you as the pining type," Astrid snickered. "Makes sense though."

Hiccup ignored her playful dig and sighed to himself. "While I'm gone, I don't want you guys to get into in any trouble," he warned. "Or do something crazy like, I don't know, stalk me on my date or something," he added in jest before retreating to his bedroom to get ready.

Frankie and Astrid shared a knowing look.

-,-

"I'm bored," Astrid groaned, sprawled all over the couch while Frankie binge-watched something on Netflix. "And these moving pictures are giving me a headache, ugh."

Frankie gasped in offense. "How can you say that? This is the best show ever!" Darkshot suddenly jumped off his lap to gnaw on the carpet.

"I respectfully disagree." Astrid sat up and stretched. "Let's do something else."

Frankie shut off the TV and narrowed his eyes.

"We could try to find another dragon," she suggested innocently, tracing a finger across the sharp blade of her axe.

Frankie scoffed at her, crossing his arms in disapproval. "I'm not helping you find any dragons to kill, Astrid. No way."

Astrid huffed, mimicking his body posture. While the two teens had their staredown, Darkshot sneaked over to the kitchen.

"How can you still hate dragons?" Frankie spluttered, miffed by Astrid's stubbornness. "I mean, look at him! How can you not find this absolutely adorable?" Frankie's eyes scanned the room for the dragon in question but Darkshot was now nowhere to be found.

"Darkshot?" It was suddenly eerily quiet in the room.

Both Frankie and Astrid bolted up and ran out to the kitchen just in time to see the small dragon slip out the backdoor.

"Darkshot! No!" Frankie cried, his attempts to catch up to him all but futile.

-,-

Hiccup and Ingrid stood in line to get popcorn and red vines. Hiccup tried taking deep breathes to calm his nerves, especially every time Ingrid turned to smile at him.

He was dressed better than he usually would, wearing a black button down and dark jeans accompanied with a brand new pair of kicks. His hair was also styled differently although still held the signature unruliness. Despite his best effort, Hiccup couldn't help but feel that Ingrid was completely league out of his league. Clad in a short skirt and a crop-top which showed off her perfect figure, her eyes were covered in dark smokey makeup and hair pulled into a bun with some curls escaping out. She looked gorgeous, almost too good to be true and definitely too good for someone like him.

They didn't speak as much as Hiccup had hoped to and he had to be the one to inaugurate every conversation they had so far. Not wanting to seem too desperate, Hiccup eventually settled with the silence and patiently waited for the movie to begin. The theatre wasn't very crowded but in some ways that was the preferable option as it would mean a less noisy audience.

-,-

Frankie panted, sweat coating his temple as he tried to keep up with Astrid.

"I can't believe you made us run halfway to town," he complained while Astrid twirled her axe, looking thoughtful for a moment before starting to run again. Frankie groaned in annoyance but followed suit.

They searched around every creak and corner until they discovered a dark alley where they heard loud hissing sounds coming from the shadows. Frankie remained on Astrid's tail, trembling in dread as she guided them towards the supposed disruption.

"Do you think that was Darkshot?" he asked shakingly.

Astrid held up a hand and stopped short to try to listen for any distinctive noises. "It sounds like him," she agreed. "Either that or it's some other dragon with an equally annoying cry."

Suddenly two bright yellow eyes became visible in the darkness and Frankie squeaked in fear, quickly finding cover behind Astrid as she raised her axe. In a matter of moments the entire area was filled up with a strange purple gas. Astrid's eyes widened. "Frankie, we need to get out of here, now!" she yelled and dragged the husky boy with her as fast as she could. Just as they made it to safe ground, a minor explosion erupted behind them.

"What was that?" Frankie shouted, his heart racing viciously.

"A dragon," Astrid grumbled. "Not like any I have seen before." She curled her fists and glared at the dark smoke.

When she finally turned to regard Frankie again, she saw him slumped down on a bench in hopelessness, face resting in his hands. "We are not going to find Darkshot, are we?" he mumbled sadly. "Hiccup is going to be so disappointed in me."

Astrid sighed before joining him. "It wasn't your fault."

"You are right, it was _yours_ ," Frankie chided. "You probably left that door open on purpose!"

Astrid scowled at his false accusations. "I did not!"

"You hated him," he argued. "Admit it, you always wanted to get rid of him!"

Astrid opened her mouth to retort something when her voice suddenly died in her throat. "I, uh.. Frankie.."

Frankie snorted to himself. "Thought so."

"Frankie!"

"Save it, Astrid."

Astrid rolled her eyes and then socked him on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?" he whined. She grabbed him by the chin and turned his head so he could follow her eyeline and see Darkshot skip inside the doors of a building on the other end of the street.

"It's Darkshot!" Frankie shouted happily and then stood up abruptly to give Astrid a suffocating hug. "We found him!"

Astrid forced a smile, finding it difficult to breathe under his hold. "So what now?" she asked as he released her.

Frankie contemplated their next actions for a moment when it suddenly dawned to him exactly what building Darkshot had snuck inside. "Oh no.."

-,-

Hiccup tried keeping his eyes on the screen but it was hard to enjoy the movie when all he wanted was to relish in the fact that Ingrid was sitting so close next to him to the point their arms were touching slightly. He almost got caught staring a couple of times and ended up stuffing his face with popcorn. If Ingrid was put off by him, she gave no indication of it. She seemed rather absorbed by the movie, paying little attention to her surroundings.

Hiccup picked up his bag of red vines and tried opening it when it accidentally slipped out of his hands. Sighing to himself, he bent down to retrieve it but was then caught off guard by the sight of Astrid crawling on all fours under the seats, dragging her double-edged axe along with her.

Hiccup looked dumbfounded for a moment, blinking at the absurdity of what he was witnessing.

His phone suddenly buzzed and he finally snapped his head up to see Frankie standing by the end of the aisle, waving at him with a guilt-ridden smile.

Hiccup cleared his throat and sat upright again, turning to Ingrid with an uncertain smile. "I just need to take this phone call. I, uh.. I will be right back," he informed her. Ingrid simply nodded, eyes still glued to the screen.

Hiccup groaned inwardly before rushing over to Frankie. "Do I even want to know?"

Frankie laughed uneasily. "Eh, probably not."

-,-

When Hiccup had imagined how his first date would play out he definitely didn't expect to find himself on his hands and knees, crawling on the dirty theatre floor. He had initially spotted Darkshot hiding under someone's seat but the dragon was as naughty as they come and vanished again before Hiccup could even think to reach him.

After thoroughly rummaging all the venues with no sign to Darkshot, he eventuelly met up with Astrid and Frankie outside in the lobby.

"He is not in there," Hiccup stated, brushing the dust of his clothes. "Where could he have gone?"

Suddenly they heard a familiar screech and saw Darkshot hanging upside down from one of the chandeliers in the room. The dragon closed his eyes and momentarily dozing off to garner some energy.

"Okay, now is our chance," Hiccup whispered to his friends. "But how do we get up there without being noticed?"

Astrid cracked her knuckles. "Leave that to me." They were just about to set their plan into action when an unexpected third voice suddenly interrupted the tense situation.

"Hiccup, what's going on?"

Hiccup immediately spun around to see Ingrid standing behind him. "Ingrid!" he exclaimed in an over-enthusiastic voice, trying to cover up the fact that he had been caught offhanded. "Uh, what.. what are you doing here?" he stuttered.

Ingrid frowned at him, folding her arms over her chest. "You were gone for a long time and missed the entire second act."

Hiccup let out a forced laugh. "Right, that was.. something came up.. I'm really, really sorry about that," he mumbled. He noticed how Ingrid was now staring past him at Frankie and Astrid.

Hiccup stepped aside to introduce them. "Ingrid, you remember Frankie, right?"

Ingrid's face appeared devoid of any emotion. "He looks familiar, I think we might have a class together," she postulated.

"Three classes, actually," Frankie corrected her, mildly offended. "Four, if you count all of middle school."

Hiccup laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, and this is Astrid," he gestured over to the beautiful Viking girl. "She's.. well.." he trailed off, looking at Astrid and Frankie for backup.

"An old friend," Astrid finished for him, resting her axe over her shoulder and raising an eyebrow at the redhead in curiosity. Ingrid returned the sentiment, looking Astrid up and down with an unreadable expression.

"Interesting choice of outfit," she commented with a snide smile before turning towards Hiccup again. "I was thinking we could head out for a bite?" Hiccup hesitated far too long for Ingrid's liking and she ended up backtracking almost instantly. "Actually, you know what, I'm feeling quite tired so maybe another time."

Hiccup could all but nod. "S-sure."

He watched in regret as she walked away.

-,-

"Sorry for ruining your 'date'," Astrid said, leaning her head on the armrest sleepily. Darkshot was now safely tucked against Frankie and they had both dozed off to the light buzzing of the TV in the background.

Hiccup shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he mumbled while finishing off the leftover Chinese they had picked up on the way home.

Astrid sat upright and reached forward to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You are a great guy, Hiccup. If Ingrid doesn't realize that then it's her loss."

Hiccup couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips. "Thanks Astrid."

His phone buzzed shortly afterwards, alerting him of a new text message.

Hiccup frowned slightly as he unlocked his phone to read it. "It's Ingrid," he muttered to himself. "She wants to go out again? I don't understand.. today wasn't an utter and complete disaster? Did I just hallucinate it all?"

Astrid shrugged, moving away from him. "Maybe she likes you more than you think."

Hiccup remained positively puzzled, still having a hard time believing Ingrid liked him in any capacity at all. "Maybe."

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for the amazing response! I still have difficulty believing how anyone could possibly enjoy this. The entire thing is like a crazy jumble of mess inside my head. xD**


	7. Chapter 7

It was early Saturday morning when Hiccup woke up to loud banging coming from the bathroom. The door was left ajar but he could hear the water running. Hiccup dragged himself to investigate the situation and was met by the sight of a soaked Astrid hunched over the bathroom sink and the entire area covered in so much foam even the faucets were barely visible anymore. Astrid appeared to be scrubbing some sort of fabric, probably a clothing item considering the red spiky skirt hanging over the shower curtain rod. Her movements were rough but precise as if she had done this countless times before.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "Are you doing laundry?" he asked in an amused tone.

Astrid stiffened in surprise. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Hiccup held up his hands in defense. "No, no problem at all," he clarified. "But you know you don't have to do this, right?"

Astrid blinked at him in confusion. "Of course I do," she said, wiping her face. "My clothes aren't going to wash themselves."

Hiccup held back a chuckle and pulled out a towel from the basket behind him, draping it over her shoulders to subdue the mild shivering. "Come on, let's get you changed into something dry."

"But.." Astrid tried protesting but instead found herself being led away from the chaotic scene in the bathroom.

-,-

"The washing machine is one of the greatest inventions of the industrial revolution," Hiccup explained, pointing over at something white and square with a small window in the center. "If you need anything else washed, just put it in here," he said, opening the small door. Astrid hesitated slightly before dropping the remaining clothes inside the small space and then jumped in surprise as Hiccup shut the door and pressed on something, making everything inside the container start to spin in circles. "When they are done washing, we'll move them into the dryer," he continued, pointing at another 'machine' that looked almost identical to the first one except it lacked a window.

Hiccup watched Astrid with interest as she stared in fascination, now having changed into a pair of Hiccup's old jeans and one of Vivian's unused oversized tops.

"Not gonna lie, this is pretty cool," she said, grinning.

Hiccup merely grinned back, fighting the sudden urge to give Astrid a big, grand tour and show her everything else this century had to offer.

-,-

Frankie had been forced to head back home today and it was with great difficulty he had parted ways with Darkshot, even if only for a short while. The dragon was currently messing about by himself in the basement which had recently been renovated into a second living room. Vivian was fond of painting and had used the extra space to exercise her artistry so it meant there had been cans of oil painting lying around which Hiccup had to lock away due to Darkshot's unexpected stay. There was suddenly a loud knock on the front door and Astrid cartwheeled over to answer it, finding an anxious looking Frankie on the other side. She rolled her eyes and stepped aside to let him enter.

While Astrid went out in the backyard for some axe throwing practise, Hiccup and Frankie picked up a new project to work on in the garage. They were now in the midst of creating a book of dragons to categorise each species they had come across.

"Haven't you ever wondered what made the dragons disappear in the first place?" Frankie mused out loud, watching his reptelian friend nibble on a piece of cardboard from afar.

Hiccup knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Frankie shrugged. "Astrid doesn't seem to be very familiar with any of the dragon species we have encountered so far. What if they are.. not from Berk?"

Hiccup looked thoughtful for a moment, taking Frankie's words in. His argument carried some merit and was just as valid as their previous hypothesis.

Frankie's phone buzzed then, interrupting their discourse.

"Who is it?" Hiccup asked over his laptop.

"Heather," Frankie sighed, running a hand through his short blond hair. "I never thought I would have to choose between a dragon and my girlfriend," he grumbled to himself. "It's not fair. Why can't we just let her join in? I'm tired of keeping secrets."

"You know _why_ , Frankie."

"But Astrid could use a female friend!" Frankie tried to argue. "It would make things so much easier for her while she is here."

"Easier for you, you mean," Hiccup retorted dryly.

"Look, I know how protective you are of Astrid and I don't want anything bad to happen to her either," Frankie continued in a much calmer voice. "But I trust Heather and I know she would be good friend to Astrid," he pleaded. "Please, just think about it at least."

Hiccup sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

While waiting for a response from his best friend, Frankie noticed he had received another text message. "It's Heather again," he murmured. "She wants to go out tonight."

Hiccup kept tight-lipped, still mulling over Frankie's insane proposal.

"How about you and Astrid join us? Nothing permanent has to happen but just to see how the girls will get along," Frankie suggested in a hopeful voice.

"And what about Darkshot?" Hiccup reminded his husky friend with a raised eyebrow.

Frankie's shoulders fell in defeat as a new realisation dawned upon him. "Oh.. Oh, I didn't even think about that."

Hiccup sighed again, finally relenting. "Maybe we could lock up the basement," he pondered. "Darkshot seems to be comfortable down there and we will only be gone for a few hours."

Frankie's face lightened up instantly and he lifted his lanky friend up in strong hug that made Hiccup gasp for air.

-,-

It was Saturday evening and packed to the rim but the trio managed to maneuver themselves over to where the raven haired girl sat and waited for them.

Frankie immediatly rushed over to greet his girlfriend while Hiccup and Astrid hung behind. Hiccup was still feeling hesitant over bringing Astrid here and potentially getting more people tangled into their mess.

"You must be Astrid." Astrid and Heather stared at one another in awe for a moment before Heather stood up and held out her hand. "Frankie's cousin, right?"

With an encouraging nudge from Hiccup, Astrid accepted the handshake and smiled shyly. "Hi." She couldn't help comparing their attires and was suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious wearing Hiccup's pants and an oversized shirt next to Heather's sleek, dark blue dress and high shoes.

Astrid mimicked Heather in her sitting style, crossing one leg over the other and subtly draping her blonde braid over her shoulder. She even ended up copying Heather's order.

Hiccup watched the entire exchange with amused intrigue. Astrid had never behaved this oddly before and that spoke volumes considering how out of touch Astrid was with the modern setting.

Heather happened to be a vegetarian so the burger Astrid ended up with was a raw veggie burger.

Astrid grimaced at all the lettuce and the eggplant bun, scrunching her nose cutely in dismay. "This wasn't what I expected," she mumbled, highly disappointment by the lack of protein. She sighed to herself dramatically.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and nudged her, offering her his own barely eaten burger. Their faces were only inches apart as Astrid leaned forward to take a bite. Her frown ceased immediately, replaced by a look of delight.

"Better?" Hiccup whispered. Astrid nodded shyly. "Here, take this, I'll go and get a new one."

As soon as Hiccup left, Heather turned to Astrid with a playful twinkle in her eye. "So you two are a thing right?" she teased.

Astrid turned bright red and began coughing. "They are just friends, Heather," Frankie intervened, feeling just as uncomfortable as Astrid about his girlfriend's strange assesment.

"I don't buy it," Heather said. "I have been watching them closely, not to mention I can recognise a pair of 'boyfriend jeans' anywhere," she stated proudly. "He got in her pants and now she is wearing his."

Frankie spluttered on the drink he was downing while Astrid narrowed her eyes.

"What are we talking about?" Hiccup's voice suddenly broke in as he returned back to the table. There was now an awkward tension looming over the room and Astrid was looking incredibly flustered.

Frankie began laughing nervously, cutting Heather off before she decided to say something more outrages. "We were just discussing how we should get milkshakes later since Astrid has never had one before."

"Are you serious?" Heather exclaimed in surprise. "Never ever?"

Astrid merely shrugged, not sure how she should respond. She didn't even know what a milkshake was, only that milk tasted a lot like yakmilk back home. She didn't understand why anyone would want to shake it though.

"That's it, we are definitely going for milkshakes," Heather declared.

-,-

The quartet walked side by side on the docks, sipping on their frothy drinks while enjoying the sunset and fresh summer air. Astrid had let Hiccup decide her flavour for her as she trusted him to know what she would like. Her drink ended up being light pink with some scoopes of 'ice cream' and Astrid found herself responding well to the taste, although consuming the cold substance too fast gave her a headache.

Frankie and Heather parted ways with Hiccup and Astrid just as the four of them reached the end of the trail. As much as Frankie adored Darkshot, he knew he had been neglecting his girlfriend and needed to make it up to her. So he ended up leaving with Heather for some alone time.

Now all by themselves, Hiccup turned to Astrid with a small smile. "Shall we?" he guestered over to his bike. Astrid giggled, seating herself on the handlebars. Hiccup then began pedalling them across the docks. He took the longer route home this time, wanting Astrid to truly experience the beauty of her surroundings.

Astrid laughed and smiled throughout the whole ride, even closing her eyes to let the wind trickle over her face. Despite being such a long way from home, she felt naught but free and at peace in that moment.

-,-

It had now been a day since their group outing and Frankie was back to pampering Darkshot with Hiccup sitting next to him, scribbling something in the 'Book of Dragons'.

The stillness in room was however cut short when Astrid suddenly barged down the stairs, holding a long piece of fabric in her hands.

"The 'dryer' ruined my bindings!" she blurted out, a blush growing over her whole face and down to her neck. "Look at them, they even have holes in them!"

Hiccup wore a stunned expression and then facepalmed at his own grave mistake. "I'm so, so sorry. I forgot to mention not all type of clothes are supposed to go into the dryer."

Astrid frowned at the shredded fold. "I need my bindings, I can't go outside without them," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and reddning even more under Hiccup's gaze.

"What are 'bindings'?" Hiccup whispered to Frankie who pulled out his phone to google the word.

"What am I going to do now?" Astrid moaned in hopelessness. Hiccup stood up and walked over to her. "Maybe we can find you something else to use as a replacement?"

Frankie suddenly rushed over to Hiccup and whispered something into his ear, making the auburn haired boy turn into the shade of a tomato.

"Uh, err.." he was now empty words, looking at Astrid with wide eyes as she still held the offensive cloth in her grasp.

He glanced over at Frankie for help but only recieved a smug smile in return. Hiccup rolled his eyes and let out an awkward laugh.

"So Astrid, I was thinking.. maybe it's time you and Heather got properly aquainted."

* * *

 **AN: Time to Hiccstrid it up a little! xD**

 **Bindings = Viking version of a bra ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Astrid had needed to borrow a sweatshirt from Hiccup to dampen the paranoia of not wearing bindings. He was taller than her and broad-shouldered so the hoodie reached down to her hips, covering a bit of her spiky skirt as well.

Hiccup was currently in the middle of preparing them breakfast. Astrid stood by his side, watching him stir up something in a bowl, some kind of doug except it looked much more thin and runny than what she was used to.

"Are you making bread?" she asked curiously.

"No," Hiccup chuckled. "I'm making _pancakes_."

Astrid made a face and repeated the word to herself, trying to get a vague idea of what a 'pancake' could be. Hiccup nudged her side playfully so he could stand before the stove. He began pouring the pancake-batter onto the hot iron pan.

"You can actually be very creative with this," he commented. "I saw someone do it in a vid-.. erm, one of those moving pictures I mean, and he created a portrait of his girlfriend. It was pretty cool."

Astrid looked at him in awe. "Can we try that?"

Hiccup shifted self-consciously. "I have never done it before. I, um.. Hold on." He rushed out to the living room to grab his phone and then reappeared again just as the pancakes were starting to take form. He removed them from the pan with a spatula before searching up 'pancake art' videos on the web.

Astrid squinted uncomfortably at the bright blue light of the screen, peeking from behind him.

Hiccup set the phone down on the counter and folded the case outwards to make it stand up. "I don't have any squeeze bottle so we are just going to have to use the ladle. It's going to be a little messy," he warned.

"The what now?" Astrid said as Hiccup started to draw what appeared to be Toothless on the pan. He waited until the outline darkened slightly before filling in the gaps and then flipping the pancake around.

Astrid gasped, smiling in elation and making Hiccup grin proudly. "Can I try?" she asked eagerly.

Hiccup handed her the ladle and stepped aside. Astrid ended up scooping up an excessive amount of batter so whatever she had intended to draw came out incomprehensible.

"Mine doesn't look half as nice as yours," she complained with a pout when Hiccup turned her pancake over.

"I would say it's a pretty decent first attempt."

Astrid sighed, still disappointed by the outcome. "I wasn't really that great of a cook back on Berk, or so I have been told," she grumbled. "I tried making bread once and it came out all black."

Hiccup laughed in spite of himself, only stopping as her facial expression visibly hardened. "Hey, I'm not actually much of a cook either," he admitted. "My dad and I used to make breakfast together. That is why I'm not completely hopeless at some of this stuff."

Astrid studied his face carefully, noticing his solemn, sad tone but not probing the matter further.

"What about your mom?"

His eyes widened in horror. "Oh God, no. My mom is a disaster in the kitchen."

Astrid snickered along with him, and then surprised him by dipping her hand inside the almost empty bowl and smearing the batter onto his cheek.

"What are you-" Hiccup gaped at her in shock. Astrid merely stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "Oh, you are so going down!"

Needless to say, they both ended up quite a messy sight afterwards and the kitchen even more so.

After finally finishing up their pancakes, with Astrid calling dibs on Hiccup's much nicer looking ones, they spent the rest of the day on clean-up duty.

-,-

It was Monday evening when Frankie brought Heather with him to Hiccup's house. The raven haired girl already looked sceptical of what secret awaited her before they even stepped in the door.

Frankie led her straight into the garage, starting off by showing her what was left of the generator he and Hiccup had built together.

"As you can see, it doesn't look like much anymore," he said with a sigh.

Heather frowned. "Why exactly are you showing me this again?"

Frankie let out a nervous laugh, glancing over at Hiccup who stood in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest.

"Something _mind-boggling_ has happened. You will not even believe it."

-,-

"Heather meet Darkshot."

Heather could feel her heartbeat pick up as she gawked at the surreal sight of a dragon sitting on top of Frankie's lap.

"Is that.. thing real?" she asked in a stunned voice, casting a questioning glance at Hiccup who nodded meekly back.

She felt slightly faint now. "So let me get this straight," she began, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing her temple. "You guys created some sort of interdimensional 'time-portal' and now there are dragons everywhere?"

"Sort of, kinda.. yeah."

"We don't really know the mechanics behind what really happened, only that it did," Hiccup interjected.

Heather nodded to herself, lowering down on the nearest chair to let it all sink in. "You know I thought I saw something strange outside my house last night," she mused out loud. "Derek swore it was just the cat but maybe it wasn't."

"So you believe us?" Hiccup asked surprised by how well she was taking it.

"There is clearly a dragon sitting on my boyfriend's lap, if I'm not hallucinating this whole thing that is."

Frankie shot Hiccup a smug 'I told you so' smile.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, sighing in obvious defeat. "There is another thing you m-" Before he could even think to finish his sentence, Astrid somersaulted down the stairs with her axe in hand, landing beautifully on her feet in front of Heather with a smirk.

The raven haired girl blinked back at the blonde, perplexed and mildly curious. "Am I being pranked right now?"

Frankie set Darkshot down and strode over to his girlfriend, grabbing her hands in his. "Well you see Heather, the dragons weren't the only ones that crossed over to our timeline. Astrid is, um.. how do I put this? ...Not from here?"

Heather furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought she was your cousin from Europe."

Frankie shook his head. "That was just a cover up story we invented. I couldn't exactly tell you she is a dragon-wrangling, axe-wielding Viking girl who somehow ended up in my best friend's bedroom in the dead of the night, now could I?"

Heather barked out laughter but then stopped short when no one else was joining in.

"Wait, are you serious?" she asked incredulously. "Wow."

Hiccup stepped behind Astrid, placing a calming hand on her shoulder to make her unclench her fists. "We have promised to find a way to get Astrid home but in the meanwhile we could use your help Heather."

Heather pursed her lips thoughtfully, regarding Astrid with great intrigue and interest.

* * *

 **AN: I just finished writing chapter 9 and it will be up soon-ish. I have been having a rough week, the pain has lessened but I'm mentally drained. Once again, thank you for the all support!**


	9. Chapter 9

It didn't take much to convince Heather to help Astrid out. The raven haired girl was beyond ecstatic over the prospect of taking the naive Viking girl shopping and even insisted the guys stay at home for this particular occasion. Hiccup had been hesitant about it at first but relented when Astrid assured him she would be fine. He had handed Heather his mother's credit card and hoped she wouldn't go overboard with it, although he suspected she might.

Without further ado, Heather's older brother Derek picked the girls up and drove them to the biggest mall in the erea.

During the entire car ride, Astrid felt an unusual pressure in her ears and strange vibrations running through her body. She wasn't used to travelling in this manner and was relieved to finally be let out when they arrived their destination. Her legs were slightly wobbly from sitting for too long and she found herself off-balance as she walked next to Heather who remained oblivious to Astrid's motion sickness.

-,-

Upon entering through the gates of the mall, Astrid found herself speechless by the view, almost forgetting the anxiety that had been mounting inside her for the past few moments. Everything looked so foreign, splendid.. and strange.

Heather smiled at Astrid's awestruck expression. "I'm guessing there weren't any malls back on Berk," she teased.

Astrid shook her head. "We have a local market and trader posts but nothing this grand. I think this place might be bigger than my whole island!"

Heather chuckled and guided the blonde to one of the many escalators. "Careful with the steps," she warned as they they stepped on board. Astrid ended up grabbing onto Heather's elbow to hold herself steady. She didn't even realize she had done it until they reached the top. "Sorry," she mumbled, letting go immediately.

Heather responded by linking their arms together. "I don't mind it," she reassured her with a small grin.

The first store they visited was filled with rows and shelves of shoes. Astrid shot Heather a questioning look. "I noticed there are holes in your boots and they don't look that comfortable. They also seem far too warm for this weather."

Astrid couldn't exactly refute Heather's statement except that her shoes had always been this way, adapted to Berk's climate and rough lifestyle.

"So what size are you?" Heather asked. Astrid suddenly realized it was something she had never considered before. "I don't know."

Heather ended up picking up a variety of shoes that looked close in size to Astrid's boots. It turned out Astrid was a 37 which was not far from Heather's own size. She ended up getting the Viking girl a pair of leather boots, which even Astrid had to admit looked pretty cool, some sandals and a pair of Chuck Taylors. Astrid failed to comprehend why she would need this many shoes though.

Their next task was to expand Astrid's limited wardrobe.

Heather made Astrid try on several items similar in style to the spiky skirt and blue tunic she already wore. The blonde didn't seem to like showing off far too much skin and appeared most comfortable in the jeans Heather had selected. Nevertheless they ended up getting a few tops, t-shirts, pants and skirts accompanied with some leggings. Heather even snuck in a dress that Astrid had scoffed at.

-,-

Hiccup was pacing back and forth frantically while Frankie scribbled in the Book of Dragons.

"Could you please relax," Frankie groaned. "I told you Astrid will be fine, Heather is with her."

Hiccup halted, letting his shoulders drop. "I know, I just.." he paused. "I hope she doesn't get too overwhelmed."

Frankie closed the book, setting it aside to fully regard his lanky friend. "You need to stop being so worried. Astrid is a strong girl. We both know that."

Hiccup sighed. "You are right, you are right," he admitted, running a hand through his unruly mop of hair. "So how far have you gotten on the classification chart?"

"As far as our limited insight and knowledge allows us," Frankie replied with a small smile. "Astrid said there are seven identified classes but we have only encountered five dragons so far and most of them seem to belong to the Sharp class except for Darkshot who is clearly a Stoker class dragon."

"How did you draw that conclusion?"

"Astrid said he looks almost identical to a Night Terror."

Hiccup rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yet he is clearly a different species. Just like all the dragons we have seen so far. They all possess striking similarities to the species Astrid is familiar with but they also have some key differences," he noted. "Frankie have you ever wondered if.."

"...the dragons really crossed over from a different timeline?" Frankie finished for him. "Yes, that thought has entertained my mind from time to time." His phone buzzed then, breaking the sober atmosphere in the room.

"Is it Heather?" Hiccup asked anxiously.

Frankie nodded, gaze focused on the small screen. "She and Astrid just took a lunch break and now they are back on with the shopping again. She says Astrid seems to be doing fine so far."

Hiccup exhaled in relief. "That's good to hear," he breathed.

Frankie studied him curiously. "You really care about her, don't you?" he more stated than asked.

The auburn haired boy simply shrugged in response. "She is my friend."

Frankie seemed to accept the vague reply, deciding to change topics. "I forgot to ask, how is it going with Ingrid? I hear you guys are going out again?"

Hiccup nodded. "We are going bowling with a couple of her friends this weekend."

This appeared to surprise Frankie even further. "You know her friends are Scott Jorgenson, Andrew Cooper and Alicia Brie, right? The exact same people that used to torment us in middle school _,_ " he reminded him.

"Maybe they have changed now? Everything is possible," Hiccup argued weakly, making Frankie snort. "You really think Scott has changed?" he asked incredulously.

Hiccup shook his head. "I can't tell her not to see her friends anymore. It doesn't work like that."

Frankie sighed. "Just be careful, Hiccup," he warned his best friend. "Ingrid seems like a nice girl but don't throw yourself over to the wolves for her."

"Don't worry, even I'm not that foolish," Hiccup chuckled self-deprecatingly.

-,-

Heather and Astrid entered an underwear outlet store and Astrid blushed at the blatant display of half-naked women everywhere.

A busty large woman with the name 'Bertha' on her name-tag approached them. "How may I help you?"

Heather put on a bright smile. "My friend is a bit unsure of her size. Would you mind measuring her?"

The saleswoman led them to the changing room area and pulled out a measuring tape from her pocket.

"You are going to have to take the top layer off, Sweetheart," she said to Astrid who looked back and forth between the middle aged woman and Heather in mortification.

Heather squeezed the blonde's shoulder encouragingly. "Come on Astrid, it will only be for a moment. Besides, no one can see us here."

Sighing, Astrid pulled Hiccup's hoodie over head and stood awkwardly still as the husky woman invaded her personal space to measure her.. breasts. Astrid felt her cheeks burn at the thought.

"Looks like a 34C but she will have to try something on to know for sure."

"So we are about the same size," Heather commented musingly. "I'm a 36B."

Astrid frowned, beyond confused. "I don't understand how this works."

Bertha let out a hearty laugh. "Neither do most people. There are many factors that weigh in when it comes to bras than just the mere cup size. A 32DD is comparable to a 40A or 38B. It all depends on how the bra sits on your body," she explained. "This is why it's important to get measured properly."

"Exactly. As a 36B I can fit into a 34C, 38A or a 30DD bra. I never understood the obsession with sizes," Heather added in agreement.

Astrid just nodded along, pretending to understand what they were talking about. As a Viking she had only known how to adjust and tighten the bindings until they held her breasts right. The bindings shown in this room appeared to be far more revealing, almost as if their intention was to flaunt the chest rather than conceal it. Which was something that baffled Astrid even further.

Heather followed Bertha around as they picked out a few bras for Astrid to try. She tried to steer clear off the most obscure ones, knowing they would make Astrid uncomfortable.

The girl in question turned scarlet as she was handed over the 'alternative bindings'. Heather had to yet again persuade the blonde into trying them on.

Astrid folded her arms around herself and jumped when Bertha drew the curtains back and stepped forward to tug on the band. "The band isn't too tight and we definitely got your cup-size right. How does it feel, Sweetheart?" Astrid didn't get the chance to reply as the husky woman suddenly squeezed the cups, making the young Viking girl yelp in horror.

Bertha chuckled. "Oh, don't be shy. You got a nice pair, very perky and full. How about we try on a push-up bra?"

Astrid clenched her fists, glaring at the woman with unleashed fury and disdain. Her patience was starting to wear thin.

Heather decided to intervene then, having been notified of Astrid's Viking temper by Frankie in advance. "Thank you so much for your help Bertha! But I think Astrid and I will continue to look around ourselves."

The older woman backed away with a nod. "Let me know if you need anything."

With Bertha finally gone from sight, Astrid exhaled shakingly and relaxed a little. She turned to Heather with impatient eyes. "Can we get out of here now, please."

Heather hastily collected a couple of cotton bra and panty sets in Astrid's size and took them straight to the checkout counter while Astrid put her clothes back on.

-,-

Astrid's blush still had not faded as they sat down by an ice cream parlor to stretch their legs.

"You alright?" Heather asked quietly.

Astrid shrugged, biting her lip. "I guess I'm just not used to someone groping my chest. That was _so_ weird."

Heather burst out laughing, making Astrid narrow her eyes in annoyance.

"Not funny."

Heather's grin still stayed on. "So I take it you have never had a boyfriend then," she teased. "Is that allowed among Vikings, by the way?"

Astrid shrugged nonchalantly. "It wasn't something that was high on my list in the middle of a chaotic war," she admitted. "And no one has ever really interested me in that way."

Heather eyed the flaxen haired girl with intent. "But aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No."

A mischievous smile touched upon Heather's lips. "Not even for one gangly, russet haired brainiac?"

Astrid glared at her now, finding herself growing flustered again. "No. We are just friends."

"Come on!" Heather scoffed. "I have seen the way you two are together."

Although her blush was reaching down to her neck now, Astrid was not the one to relent. "Just friends," she repeated in a more firm and decisive tone.

"Alright!" Heather held up her hands in surrender. "How about we get some more frozen yogurt, I'm really digging this new flavour."

The Viking girl could only nod in response, her mind now reeling with strange, new thoughts.

-,-

It had darkened by the time they finally returned back to Hiccup's house.

While Heather carried the shopping bags in, Astrid took a moment outside to calm her nerves. The ride home had almost been unbearable, she wasn't sure if she would ever get used to it. Not that it really mattered since she wasn't planning on staying here either way.

Hiccup gaped at the amount of bags splayed over the hallway floor. "What did you do? Buy the entire mall out?" he asked in an incredulous tone as Heather handed him back Vivian's credit card. "My mom is going to kill me."

"Yeah.. this is insane," Frankie agreed with wide eyes.

Astrid stepped in the door then and suddenly Hiccup forgot about whatever that had been vexing him. He looked at her with bulged eyes, making the flaxen haired beauty shift self-consciously under his stare.

"You are back," he said with a growing beam.

Astrid nodded, smiling back at him shyly.

* * *

 **AN: This reminded me of the first time my little sister and I went underwear shopping. xD**

 _ **Goldeneyeddragon: I realized I never answered your question, I'm very sorry about that. Frankie probably has an android, probably something that isn't too mainstream.**_

 **As always, thanks for all the amazing feedback!**


	10. Chapter 10

The winters on Berk were always harsh this time of the year. Half the village had to retreat to the Great Hall to live out the snowstorm. Some of the houses were built sturdy and windproof with large fireplaces on both floors and could withstand any type of weather. Those usually belonged to the upperclassmen of the tribe. For the large majority however, shelter was only to be found inside the meade hall.

It was just past evening and stocked beyond capacity. Mostly women and children but also quite a few males both elderly and in their prime years.

In midst of the crowd stood out a small lithe blonde with fiery eyes. She was strikingly beautiful but it was usually overlooked due to her runt status in her family. Astrid struggled with basic household chores and as a warrior she was often underestimated and undervalued when compared to her older brothers. The Hoffersons were a decorated warrior family, known for their skills and competencies in battle. Astrid desperately wanted to prove herself as someone who was on par with the rest of her clan and follow her grandmother's footsteps into becoming a shieldmaiden. The only problem was that every time Astrid attempted to prove her worth, chaos was sure to follow. Somehow she always managed to aggravate the situation despite her good intentions.

It was very frustrating for the Hoffersons. After that fateful incident with Finn Hofferson, their family's name had suffered greatly and Astrid's antics were opening up old wounds again.

Someone nudged the young blonde and she looked up to see Chief Henrik's youngest nephew smirking at her. He was lanky but a head taller and the star pupil of their generation. Astrid naturally disliked him of course. "Are you going to stand here and sulk all day, Hofferson? Not that there is much else for you to do around here."

"I didn't ask for your company, Mikael. Leave me alone," she spat, folding her arms over her chest and raising her chin up high.

The dark haired boy laughed. "It's not my fault that you set Gothi's house on fire and let the Monstrous Nightmare escape."

Astrid curled her fists. "It was an accident!"

"Sure," Mikael grinned and then tugged on her braid in an attempt to provoke her.

Astrid slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me," she hissed and then grabbed her axe, rushing away from him.

"You will never beat me Astrid," Mikael called out after her. "Just give up already."

The girl in question whipped around one last time, throwing him a deadly glare. "We'll see about that," she whispered to herself.

-,-

Whilst everyone was sleeping Astrid decided to sneak out to the forge where her second oldest brother Trygve worked late into the night. He was the sibling Astrid stood the closest to and the only one to support her all the way through. Astrid had memorized the entire Book of Dragons with his help and even learned about cartography in case she was planning to set out on voyage like her grandmother once did. Astrid visualized herself finding the Dragon's nest and defeating the Vikings' greatest enemy. It would certainly boost up her status and earn her the most promising warrior title.

Astrid would often daydream of this scenario and get lost in her own thoughts. Until reality usually nudged her awake.

Trygve didn't look up as his baby sister entered the blacksmith shop, already expecting her company.

"Heard you got mouthy with the Chief's nephew again?" he commented in an amused tone.

Astrid scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That was nothing. Just wait until dragon training begins, I will show him who the real warrior is."

Trygve smiled a little but just as quickly, his beam turned into a frown.

"What's wrong?" Astrid asked, detecting a slight shift in the mood.

Trygve shook his head. "Mom and dad are under a lot of pressure.. and you aren't exactly helping matters," he sighed.

Astrid bit her lip, eyes cast downwards. "I just want to be one of you guys," she mumbled. "I thought you understood that."

Trygve sighed again, drawing a hand over his tired face.

"Astrid.. you can't."

The blonde visibly flinched at his words, betrayal striking her fine features. "You are taking their side," she breathed out accusingly, backing away. "Of course you are."

"No. No, I'm not-" Trygve tried to assure her but Astrid was already out of the door. "Ast, where are you going?" he yelled as he saw her take to the pathway that led into the woods. "Ast! Get back here, you will get yourself lost!"

Astrid didn't stop at his command, keeping her coarse straight forward. She began hurling her axe at the trees angrily along the way, swinging blindly in the dark.

Unbeknownst to her, a green-eyed dragon secretly watched her from his hiding place.

She walked for what felt like hours until she was deep into the forest beyond anyone's reach. It was eerily dark and cold. She could hear footsteps behind her but ignored it, knowing it would most likely be Trygve.

"I don't want to talk about it," she huffed, folding her arms over herself stubbornly.

When she received naught but dull silence in return, she eventually turned around to fully address her brother but was then surprised to see that no one was actually standing behind her.

A chill ran up her spine as she realized she was all alone in the dead of the night.

Something sharp hit the back of her head then and her entire world suddenly turned pitch black.

-,-

Astrid's squinted her eyes open and was greeted by sweet freckles and serene forest green eyes.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup whispered groggily, concern woven in his voice.

It took Astrid a moment to realize she might have said something in her sleep and woken him up. She blushed and shook her head. "I'm fine. I.. uh.. I still feel like this is a dream, you know.. almost as if I'm not really here."

Hiccup didn't say anything, patiently waiting for her to continue.

Astrid sighed. "Everything is so.. different. I don't how to explain it. It's not just the surroundings but the people as well. None of this feels real," she mused out loud. "On Berk everyone knew me and my family inside out. Here.. I am just a stranger," she whispered. "A stranger that doesn't really belong."

Hiccup smiled faintly. "You miss your old life."

"I do.. but at the same time, I don't?" she admitted with a humorless chuckle. "I keep imagining returning back home and wondering how I will go on with my life after all of this. How can I forget all that I have seen? How can I forget.. you?" she merely whispered the last part. "And what if.. I don't want to forget?"

Hiccup hesitantly lifted a hand up to brush a few golden strands off her face. "I know I will never forget you," he confessed, staring deeply into her blue pools.

Astrid's cheeks grew hotter but she also couldn't bring herself to look away. There was something in his gaze that drew her in.

The sound of the door opening downstairs unfortunately disrupted the moment.

"Hiccup, sweetie, are you awake?" Hiccup's mother Vivian called out as she stepped inside the hallway with her suitcases. "Your shoes are still here.. and what is this? Huh."

Hiccup froze up. He had not expected his mother back until the end of the week.

This could ruin everything.

He needed to act quickly as he could now hear her ascending the squeaky stairs. The last thing he wanted was to explain to her why there was a hot, foxy Viking girl lying in bed with him.

That would be all kinds of awkward he reckoned.

* * *

 **AN: I'm sensing that the interest has waned a bit and I myself have become a little unmotivated. Hopefully the next update will be up soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

Hiccup quickly ushered Astrid inside the bathroom to hide just as Vivian swung the door open, not even bothering to knock first.

The russet haired boy ran a hand through his unruly mop and smiled at his mother as she stepped forward to greet him. He could still feel his heart racing from nearly getting caught.

Vivian enclosed her son in a warm hug. "Oh my poor baby, look at the state of you," she cooed, stroking his hair before pulling back to get a better look at his frail, freckled face. "Why aren't you at school today?"

Hiccup scratched the top of his head nervously. "I.. uh.. overslept," he lied. "Frankie and I stayed up late working on our assignment and I must have missed the alarm."

Vivian raised a sceptical eyebrow, knowing how punctual her son usually was but let it go for now. She began examining the disheveled state of him room, frowning at the pile of clothes scattered everywhere.

"So how was the conference?" Hiccup continued, trying to divert her attention.

Vivian snapped her eyes back and let out a tired laugh. "Long and tiring. I'm lucky to catch an early flight, I don't think I would have been able to hold on much longer," she admitted. "I have another meeting coming up this weekend but at least it will be here at the university and not somewhere off in Europe.."

Hiccup simply nodded, unsure of how he felt about his mother's sudden reappearance. As much as he missed her, he knew this was going to bring in new challenges.

"I'm going to jump in the shower now. See you downstairs, sweetie," Vivian decided at last, kissing him on the check before stepped out to the hallway.

At the 'click' of the door shutting close, Hiccup felt his shoulders sink and relaxed slightly.

Astrid poked him from behind suddenly, making him jump in startle. "So what happens now?" he heard her ask.

"Good question," Hiccup sighed, rubbing the bridge between his eyes warily.

He couldn't just hide a girl and a dragon in his bedroom, now could he?

-,-

While Vivian was busy freshening up, Hiccup quickly snuck Darkshot up to his room and Astrid was none too pleased about that.

"Why can't Frankie take him?" she grumbled. "I refuse to babysit a dragon, much less share sleeping space with it!"

"Astrid.." Hiccup sighed her name. "I know this isn't going to be easy for you but please try to get along. For me? Please?"

Astrid met his eye for a moment, her features softening despite herself. She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine."

Darkshot suddenly began jumping up and down on the bed, making loud and squeaky noises that would definitely raise suspicion.

"Hey, hey there bud," Hiccup tried to calm him down. "Please behave!"

The dragon stopped and looked at him curiously. Hiccup reached out, touching his snout. "You are going to listen to Astrid, okay?"

Darkshot looked between Hiccup and Astrid before letting out a small warble. Hiccup smiled at him, patting his head.

"Hiccup?" Vivian called from downstairs, having finished up her shower and sauntered down to prepare breakfast. Hiccup knew better than anyone to let his mother enter the kitchen on her own.

"I have to go now," he said to Astrid. "We will call up Frankie later and figure this out."

Astrid could all but nod.

-,-

Vivian watched as her son picked on his egg and bacon mindlessly, looking as if he was miles away.

She cleared her throat. "I know I have been gone for a long time, and I know it had been hard on you.."

Hiccup snapped his head up and shook his head. "I'm fine, mom."

"I don't think you are," she said in a quiet voice. "I know you still miss your father."

Hiccup stood up from his chair abruptly. "I have some homework to finish, is it okay if I take this upstairs?" he gestured over to his plate.

Vivian looked at him for a moment in confusion before shaking her head with self-deprecating smile. "By all means.."

Hiccup gathered some extra eggs, bacon and fries onto his plate before speedily making his way up the stairs. Vivian stared after him and then sighed to herself. She knew she had been gone a long time and it was only natural for her son to feel a bit skittish around her for a while. She probably needed to give him some time and space until the tension dissipated.

-,-

Hiccup knocked on the door to his room four times and then flinched at the sound of a loud crash.

"Hiccup.. is everything alright?" he heard his mother call out in worry.

"Y-yeah! Everything is fine! I just knocked over some.. uh.. books!"

A disheveled Astrid opened up to let him in. He shot her a curious look.

"Do I even want to know?"

She shrugged and then picked up a fry off the plate he was holding. Darkshot rushed by then, nearly knocking everything over.

"Hey! Careful there bud."

Hiccup caught his breath, heart drumming as he closed the door behind him and took in the state of his room.

"What on earth were you two doing up here?"

Astrid blushed a little. "I, uh.. was trying to teach him how to fly," she mumbled and Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Only so he can get back to his mother and I don't have to see him anymore!" she added quickly.

He suppressed a smile. "Right."

The room looked quite the sight to say the least. Luckily his mother remained oblivious to the unexpected guests occupying their living space.

-,-

Vivian was in the midst of going through the laundry the following day when she spotted something that completely caught her off guard.

At first she thought her eyes were tricking her but upon closer inspection she realized she was indeed holding a blue cotton bra and thong set that she knew definitely didn't belong to her.


End file.
